Physical Therapist Assistant Salary in Texas 2026,
$78,000 Median | BLS Data by City

The published Texas figure is $78,000 a year, or $37.50 an hour, per BLS OEWS May 2025, with a band from $43,900 at the 10th percentile to $99,640 at the 90th and quartiles at $62,870 and $87,330. That is 14.1% above the national median of $68,380, and Texas levies no state income tax on it. The row is SOC 31-2021, an exact match to the occupation.

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos at $84,930, then Midland $82,620, Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington $80,370, Wichita Falls $78,310 and San Angelo $78,200. What stands out is how well the smaller metros hold up — Wichita Falls and San Angelo are at or above the state median of $78,000. Rehabilitation demand exists across Texas and clinician supply in the smaller markets is thin, which flattens the usual metro gradient.

Yes. Texas participates in the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact, so an assistant holding a compact-eligible licence in another member state can obtain a privilege to practise in Texas without submitting a full licence application, and a Texas licensee can do the same in other member states. That is a substantial practical difference from non-compact states, where a full application and processing period stand between arrival and the first day of work.

Graduation from an accredited associate-level physical therapist assistant programme, the national licensure examination, a jurisprudence assessment covering Texas law and board rules, and criminal background clearance. The licence permits practice under the supervision of a licensed physical therapist, with supervision requirements set by board rule. Renewal carries continuing competence requirements.

The data says yes more clearly here than in most states. A 14.1% premium over the national median, no state income tax, compact portability that protects the credential's value if you move, a 1.03 location quotient indicating normal employment density, and a strong national outlook for the occupation. The caveats are the wide entry tier — the $43,900 tenth percentile is a real part of this distribution — and the $99,640 ceiling, beyond which progression requires the doctoral physical therapist qualification.

Because the credential is the whole of the job's portability. A physical therapist assistant's skills transfer perfectly across state lines; what does not transfer, in a non-compact state, is the authority to use them. The compact converts a multi-month application into a privilege that can be obtained quickly, which does three things: it lets clinicians follow work, it lets employers recruit across state lines, and it lets a licensee accept a temporary or travel assignment without a permanent relocation. Texas being in the compact while several large states in this batch are not is a structural advantage for anyone whose career might involve moving, and it is one reason the state can staff a rehabilitation sector growing with its population.

Demand geography and supply thinness together. Rehabilitation need follows population and age rather than industry, so it is distributed across Texas in a way that oil or technology employment is not — every county has skilled nursing facilities and outpatient clinics. Meanwhile the accredited programmes that produce assistants are concentrated in the larger metros, so the smaller markets have to compete for graduates who could stay in Austin or Dallas. Wichita Falls at $78,310 and San Angelo at $78,200 are the visible result. For a candidate willing to work outside the big four metros, the wage penalty is essentially zero and the cost of living difference is substantial.

The band ends at $99,640, and on an exact-match occupation that is a meaningful ceiling rather than a soft one. Lead assistant roles, clinical instruction and home health caseloads with productivity components reach it. Beyond it there is no further tier within the occupation — the next step is the doctoral physical therapist qualification and a separate licence from the same board, which is a multi-year commitment. Any Texas assistant planning a long career should decide about that deliberately and early, because the financial case for the doctorate weakens as the earning years already spent as an assistant accumulate.